Process of treating lignite.



TED STATES LOUIS STERNE, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

PATENT orFro.

PROQESS OF TREATING LIGNITE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 22, 1906. Serial No- 322,943.

- Patented Dec. 11, 1906.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I,LOUIS'STERNE, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Donnington House, Norfolk street, Strand, London,England, ha'veinvented a new and useful Process of Treating Lignite; andI do hereby declare that the. following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, which will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same. Y

The form of coal designated lignite. or lignite coal to which thisinvention relates contains moisture, and when exposed to the air thismoisture evaporates and the lignite disintegrates or crumbles very soonter it is removed from the mine, such evaporatlon and consequentdisintegratlon being termed weathering. The moisture present in thefreshly-mined lignite, so called,

serves the purpose of a binder, and the reinoval of this moisture byevaporation or otherwise causes it to crumble or disintegrate rapidly.This disintegration of li nite makes it very difficult to transport anduse as a fuel, and attempts have been made to overcome this difficultyby combining various binding materials with the lignite and compressingit into briquets, which, how

-- I have discovered that ever, is always expensive and not alwaysconvenient or practicable.

by subjecting the lignite, so called, when freshly mined, to a coatingof oil before it is materially weathered the moisture will be retainedin the coal as a binder, and the weathering with its consequentdisintegration is practically preventedfor a long time. Experimentsconducted under my direction have demonstrated thus far that lignitetreated according to my process and which has been exposed forfour-months remains intact with little or no weathering ordisintegration.

In carrying out my process I take lignite as it comes from'the mine andafter screening it coat it with crude petroleum, which is cheap andeasily obtainable, either by sprin klin the oil over the lignite orimmersing the lignite in.a bath of petroleum and removing it, permittingthe surplus oil to drain back into the bath.

In order to obtain the best results, I refer to expose the lignite tothe action of t e air for a brief period, in order to allow the external portions to dry slightly, and thus be.- come more porous, so thatthe surface of the coalparticles will absorb the oil more readily andmore perfectly seal and protect the inner portions from evaporation anddisintegration.

On a large scale my process can be carried out by conveying the lignitein a suitable conveyer provided with apertures for draining the surplusoil under a. sprinkling apparatus, which sprays the oil over thelignite, and collect the surplus oil for reuse, or the,

conveyor may be arranged to carry the lignite into and through a bath ofpetroleum and then out of'the bath, suitable arrangements being made topermit the surplus oil to drain off from the lignite and return to thebath or tank. I The effect of thus coating the lignite with oil isremarkable, in that it closes the pores of the coal, prevents theevaporation of the contained moisture, and therefore revents anymaterial disintegration. The

ignite coalafter being so' coated may be' What I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1 The herein-described process of treating lignite, which consists incoating it when freshly mined with a material which w ll prevent theevaporation ofcontained molsture, and preserve it from disintegration.

2. The herein-described process of treating lignite which :consists incoating it when freshly mined with oil, to prevent evaporation ofcontained moisture, and disintegration of the particles.

3. The herein-descr bed process of treating lignite, which consists incoating the lumps or particles thereof when freshly mined with I with acoating of crude petroleum to prevent crude petroleum to prevent theevaporation the evaporation of contained moisture and no of containedmoisture, and'disintegration. l consequent disintegration of "theparticles.

4. The herein-described process which con- LOUI'S STERNE sists in takinglignite as it comes from the mine, exposing it to the air sufficientlyonly Witnessesg to dry the surfaces of the particles and ren- JOHN E.BoUsFIE D, der them porous, then treating the lignite G. G. REDFERN.

